Book-sewing machine



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.2 Sheets-Sheet 1.- A. J. HARDING.

BOOK SEWING MACHINE.

Patented May 28, 1895;

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-A. J. HARDI NG. BOOK SEWING MACHINE.

No. 539,808. M Patented May 28, 1895.

UNITED STATES ANDREW J. HARDING, OF AKRON, OHIO.

BOOK-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Lett'ersl atent no. 539,808, dated May 28,1895.

Application filed January 3, 1893- Serial No. 457,097. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. HARDING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Book-Sewing Machines,ofwhich jected to the operation of curved, eye-pointed needles that sewwith thread each successive signature as it is presented.

Many of the elements hereinafter shown and described have beenillustrated in Letters Patent of the United States to David McC. Smythe,to which Letters Patent reference will be hereinafter made for fullerdescription than is thought necessary to repeat herein. As at presentconstructed and placed on the market, while embodying many of theelements socured by said Letters Patent, differ somewhat in theirgeneral appearance from the illustra-' tions of said patents, and tothese attention is hereinafter called. In the present construction, thefolded edgeof the leaves or signatures placed on the radial arms thatare progressively turned, when forced upward to the needles, by theelevation of each successive arm, to their position to be sewed, pass between the last preceding signature, and a series of fixed, dependingspring fingers. These spring fingers are located directly in front ofthe upper part of the last preceding signature, and their office is toretain each signature as it is raised to place against being pushedforward bya series of packing fingers which rock forward under the edgeof each signature as it is added, and return to press or pack its lowerhalf against those that precede it. In operation it is found, however,that the expansion of the packed signatures is such that the last addedpresses against these fixed spring fingers; and as the next signature iscarried up on its radial arm,'it is forced between these fingers and thelast preceding signature, and rubbing against the latter causes in itscontiguous leaves, what is termed shuffiing;

' bulge; therebypreventingthe solidity of parts at the back, which isessential to perfect and durable work. Again, as the outer leaves of thefirst and last signatures of each book are coated with paste for furtheruse in binding the volume, this arrangement also results in transferringa portion of the paste to the fixed spring fingers, which isthencedistributed on other sheets, as they are successively brought toposition.

The object of my invention is to overcome these objections by arrangingthe fixed spring fingers to be operated by the machine mechanism-andautomatically rock outward to permit each successive signature to freelyrise to place; and return to hold it while being sewed.

' To the aforesaid purpose my invention consists in the peculiar andnovel construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and then specificallypointed out in the claim, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the Smythebook-sewing machine as now manufactured,

shown in outline, and embodying myimprovement; Fig. 2, an enlarged frontelevation of my invention,including such parts of the machine shown inFig. 1 as are necessary to an understanding of its relation thereto;Fig. 3,

a perspective, further enlarged, of portions of myinvention and parts ofsaid machine; and Figs. 4:, 5, and 6, details of mechanism hereinafterdescribed.

Referring to the drawings, A, is the booksewing machine and as atpresent manufactured, and in which, E, B, are the horizontallyrevolvingarms on which the signatures are placed, on which arms are mounted ahub, O,

which, actuated by the connected mechanism, slides on the verticalshaft, D, and intermittingly presents one arm, carrying a signature,

to the curved needles, E, fed with thread from the spools, F.

Thus far, the machine is substantially the same as shown in Fig. 2, inthe patent granted to D. McO. Smythe, dated October 7, 1879, No.220,312, and its operation is similar.

G, G, are the packing fingers hereinbefore referred to, that restagainst the signature last sewed, and back of the next succeedingsignature as it is raised and until the horizontal arm that carried ithas descended; when they rock forward under its lower edges, and, by areturn movement, press or pack it to place. The stitch is then taken bythe curved needles and the adjacent looper a; (the construction andoperation of which are similar to that described in United StatesLetters Patent No. 250,991, granted to D. McO. Smythe December 13,1881.) A shaft, H, pivotally connected with a rocking lever, I, whichhas a finger that runs in a cam groove, J, rocks a shaft, K, on whichare two crank arms, L, L, carrying between their outer ends arod, M. Thethreads from the spools, F, pass over the rod, M, to

the needles, E, and the function of this part is, at each recession ofthe needles, to draw sufficient thread from the spools for the nextstitch.

Thus far I have described such parts of the machine as they are nowmanufactured and as incident, and necessary to an understanding of myimprovement.

Across the frame, A, in front of, and below the needles, is a bar, N,having at each end bearings, in which is journaled' a shaft, 0, bearinga number of depending fingers, P. These fingers consist of two pieces,arranged to be adjusted in length by means of a setscrew of one, slidingin a slot in the other; the lower part having, a rounded end, as shown,to prevent abrasion of the paper. At the outer end of this shaft, 0, isa crank-arm, Q, provided with an elongated groove, R. A yoke, S, isclamped on the shaft, H, and bears a wrist, T, that fits and slides inthe groove, B; so that when the shaft, H, rises, it will cause a partialrevolution of the shaft, 0, and rock the fingers, P, outward; and by itsreturn movement, rock them inward. These parts are so adjusted that atthe moment one of the horizontal arms, B, is brought in position torise, and carry its signature to the needles, the shaft, H, by means ofthe groove in the wheel, J, is, for the purpose of drawingthread fromthe spools, as hereinbefore stated, raised; and so remains for ashort-interval, during which the horizontal arm, B, rises, carrying itssignature to the needles.

By the movement of the shaft, H, just described, and during the intervalstated, the fingers, P, are, by the mechanism hereinbefore described,rocked outward, permitting the signature, carried by the horizontal arm,to rise, without rubbing against the one that preceded it. When thesignature has been thus raised and the stitch taken, the shaft, H,descends; thereby rocking the fingers, P, against the signature, onwhich they press, and retain it as the packing fingers, G, rock outwardunder its lower edge.

I have adopted as a convenient means of rocking the fingers, P, theshaft, H; but I do not wish to limit my invention to this exactconstruction, as it will be apparent that they may be connected with,and operated by some other part of the mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

The combination, in a book -sewing machine, with the rock-shaft, O,carrying fingers, P, to engage the upper part of the signature, and thevertical shaft, H, to actuate the threadfeeding mechanism, of thegrooved'crank-arm, Q, attached to the rock-shaft, O, and the yoke, 8,attached to the vertical shaft, H, bearing a wrist,T, arranged to run insaid grooved crank, and rock said finger-carrying shaft, substantiallyas shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto set my hand.

' ANDREW J. HARDING.

Witnesses:

O. P. HUMPHREY, O. E. HUMPHREY.

